ATF agent: The NRA 'wants us right where we're at'

An ATF agent sets up a barricade at the scene of the shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 15, 2016.
REUTERS/Jim Young

A new report from Mother Jones has found that, despite the gun lobby's fears, even if the government decided to take away the country's guns, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) doesn't have the manpower.

"Look, we don't have the people," Corey Ray, an ATF spokesman told Mother Jones. "Even if we were like, 'Yeah, we're coming to take your guns,' 30 years from now you might get a knock on your door."

The ATF's personnel problem has everything to do with the powerful influence the National Rifle Association (NRA) has over Congress, experts say.